The Dauntless was equipped with a quantum slipstream drive allowing it to travel 60,000 light years in three months and was capable of traveling over fifteen light years in only a short time, which otherwise took Voyager two days to cover at high warp.

Arturis nearly managed to trick them into believing that the ship was an advanced prototype sent by Starfleet to retrieve them from the Delta Quadrant. The ship was actually a part of Arturis' plan to take revenge on Voyager and its crew, whom he blamed for the assimilation of his species. He hoped to lure the crew of Voyager onto the ship and then send it into Borg space where they would also be assimilated. His plan failed and the ship was lost to the Borg with only Arturis on it upon entering Borg space. (VOY: "Hope and Fear")

Though not originally a Starfleet design, ships matching the configuration of the Dauntless appear in the 25th-century timeline of Star Trek Onlineas the Dauntless-class "Experimental Science Vessel", featuring a special device that mimics the effects of particle synthesis to distract enemies and confuse their targeting.